Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Even when it's cold out, squirrels need to eat. They have food that they have hidden and also eat nuts, fruits, and berries for calories and fat to
see them through the winter. Squirrels can also eat bugs,
soil, mushrooms and animal bones. Squirrels need water too if they want to remain
hydrated during winter.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Side by side you might find the male Blue Jays are slightly
larger than the females. Otherwise male and female Blue Jays appear almost
identical in appearance to the casual human glance. However the feather
structures of many species also reflect light in the ultraviolet range.
Because many birds can discriminate a greater variety of colors than humans,
including ultraviolet wavelengths, they can appear quite different to each
other than they do to us.

You can also observe their behavior, especially in February
when courtship begins. Little groups form and if a female begins to fly, the
males follow. After landing, the males bob their heads and fluff their feathers
in attempts to impress the female.

Once a mate is chosen the male and female both gather materials and build the
nest, but on average male does more gathering and female more building.

Monday, December 28, 2015

The first cold snap of winter cracked an icy whip across mid-Michigan, forcing the birds to return to our feeders in droves. You may notice a lot more titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees at the feeders. These clever birds collect and hide or cache food all over their territory, in a behavior known as scatter-hoarding.

Usually this secret stash of food hidden in the crevices of tree bark, in knotholes, under shingles, in the ground and on the underside of small branches helps them survive during bad weather and when food sources are low. Unfortunately ice storms can cover this food and make it unattainable. So while their backup foods as well as natural resources aren’t available, they are attacking the feeders.

Winter is the time when high fat foods become more critical in a bird’s diet. Every night up to three-quarters of a bird’s fat reserves are used up; reserves that must be replenished the next day. When fat reserves are depleted, protein — mostly scavenged from muscle tissue — is depleted to keep up with energy needs.

Keeping your feeders filled with high energy, high fat foods can provide your birds with the critical nutrition they need to survive. High on the list of best choices to meet this nutritional need is suet.

Our most popular Wild Birds Unlimited seed blends are No Mess Blend and Choice Blend because they are filled with many of high fat seeds and nuts making them ideal foods, along with suet, to offer your birds this winter.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

White-breasted nuthatches are small birds that can often be spotted
climbing up and down the trunks of trees. Their black and white body and
long bills make them easy to identify. Their bills are nearly as long
as their heads and White-breasted nuthatches have black crowns on their
heads, with white cheeks and white undersides.

They are found year-round in Michigan and do not migrate. In the winter
it’s not unusual for a group of mixed species to fly together for
protection and to forage for food.

They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and
acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to
“hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be
small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal
yammering will lead you right to them.

It is easy to attract the White-breasted Nuthatches to your yard, with a
suet or peanut feeder as well as our Wild Birds Unlimited seed cylinders.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

The American Goldfinches are here in mid-Michigan year round. To encourage them to your yard, plant native Purple coneflowers, milkweed and other plants that produce seed heads.

At the feeders, finches prefer sunflower and nyjer (thistle) seed. They can figure out how to use any bird feeder including hoppers, mesh or tube feeders, and these birds don’t mind feeders that sway in the wind. You’ll also find American Goldfinches are happy to feed on the ground below feeders, eating spilled seeds.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Last week was the Winter Solstice, the day the Earth's Northern Hemisphere has the shortest day, and longest night, and the sun's daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. The birds might consider it the beginning of the "real" New Year. I did too! It’s the day when the whole annual cycle begins all over, and I can look forward to the gradual lengthening of days.

You can’t help but admire our hardy winter birds in Michigan. When I go out to fill the feeders in the morning and hear the nuthatches and woodpeckers “laughing,” I feel happy that they are excited to see me with the food.

And remember if you feel a little guilty about just throwing away your Christmas tree, its usefulness can be extended by placing it outside near feeders for added shelter against the weather and predators. In a matter of minutes, the old tree is providing a new natural cover.

The birds have an advantage this year with the milder November and December which allowed them to seek natural foods. Though it might seem strange to humans, wild birds prefer to forage over visiting feeders (with the possible exception of the House Sparrows).

However, as the temperatures dip and natural food sources may become covered with snow or locked in ice, the supplemental food and water we provide is more widely appreciated and has a bigger impact on the birds’ survival.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

The secret to Rudolph's red nose is the dense network of blood vessels that carry red, oxygen-rich blood in the nasal architecture, say the scientists from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the University of Rochester in New York.

"In colder climates and also when they are higher up in the atmosphere pulling Santa's sleigh, the increase in blood flow in the nose will help keep the [nose's] surface warm," Dr. John Cullen of the University of Rochester told MedPage Today. The dense network of blood vessels in reindeer noses is also essential for regulating the animal's internal body temperature — like many mammals, reindeer don't sweat.

The researchers found reindeer noses do turn a rosy red after a treadmill test. "These results highlight the intrinsic physiological properties of Rudolph's legendary luminous red nose, which help to protect it from freezing during sleigh rides and to regulate the temperature of the reindeer's brain, factors essential for flying reindeer pulling Santa Claus' sleigh under extreme temperatures," scientists explain.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Short to medium-distance migrant. Cooper’s Hawks can be found wintering in mid-Michigan year round and
over most of the continental United States. But some birds migrate as far
south as southern Mexico and Honduras.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Most people know woodpeckers use their beak like a chisel searching for insect larvae in the barks of trees. But the bugs don’t want to get eaten and they tuck tight in tiny crevices to hide. That’s when the woodpecker has to pull out a secret weapon, his tongue.

Woodpeckers’ tongues act like a spear with sticky barbs that can extend up to 4 inches. The tongue starts out on top of the mouth, passes through the right nostril, between the eyes, divides in two, arches over the top of the skull and around the back part of the skull passing on either side of the neck, coming forward through the lower mouth.

Tiny bones within the entire length of woodpecker's tongue fold up like an accordion. When a woodpecker contracts his muscles the tongue is propelled out of the bill. When the muscles relax the tongue shortens. The woodpeckers' tongue is also super sensitive. It contains muscles that move it side to side as well to search for food and feel for unseen insects behind dead wood.Related Articles: How do I stop woodpeckers from pecking on my house? http://bit.ly/KGItqFWhat’s the best suet for Michigan wild birds? http://bit.ly/tcKaspHairy Woodpecker vs. Downy Woodpecker http://goo.gl/WMH31How many woodpeckers are in Michigan? http://goo.gl/P2qRvHow do I Attract Woodpeckers? http://bit.ly/o4CLqI

Monday, December 21, 2015

With the abundance of fruit and nuts the trees produced this year along with the mild fall and winter so far, birds are finding it easier to forage for
food naturally. It's estimated that only about 20% of a backyard bird's daily
energy intake comes from feeders and because we haven’t had a lot of snowfall
in mid-Michigan, there still might be a lot of natural food sources available.

Cardinals are often the first to
visit a feeder in the morning and the last to stop by and grab a bite at night.
You can listen for their “chip, chip, chip” calls to each other just before the
sun rise and sets.

Also
this year we've had no major bird irruptions. According to Ontario Field
Ornithologist Ron Pittaway's Winter Finch Forecast, several bird species will stay in Canada for the whole winter. You can read the full 2015-2016 Winter Finch Forecast at: WINTER FINCH FORECAST.

Other
things to check if you don’t have birds at your feeders:

1. Make sure your seed is fresh. One way
to do this is to pinch the seed with your fingernails on a piece of white paper
and see if any oil comes out. On cold days where every meal counts, if your
seed has dried out your feeder will be skipped. (Wild Birds Unlimited
receives a fresh load of seed each week).

2. Make sure there is no mold in the
bottom of your feeder. This can be dangerous to the birds and they will
avoid your feeder again. To prevent mold in bad weather use Feeder Fresh™ (a silica
grit that absorbs water and humidity, is safe for birds, and made from
non-toxic absorbent sand). You can also shelter your feeder from the elements
by using something like WBU Weather Guard.

3.
Look for predators. Hawks or cats
can deter birds from feeding in your area.

You'll probably notice that the bird activity will increase at the next storm when
winter may finally arrive.

*Beetle larvae make up about one-third of the Pileated Woodpecker’s natural diet. Ants are the next most important food item.
*The barbed tip of a woodpecker’s tongue is very sensitive to touch and can both detect and impale insect larvae. The tongue is coated with sticky mucus that is secreted by large salivary glands; this coating helps to ensure that its prey does not slip away.

*Woodpeckers are among a very few birds that have zygodactyl feet – which simply means they have two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backwards. Most birds have an arrangement of three toes forward and one backwards. Having two sets of opposing toes gives them a much better grip on the trees they land on and climb.
*In order for woodpeckers to survive the 10G’s of force that they can sustain with every blow against a tree, they have the following special adaptations:
-The bones between the beak and the skull are joined by a flexible cartilage, which cushions the shock of each blow.
-The skull is made of spongy, air-filled bone and the brain is packed very tightly into the brain cavity, with little room to rattle around during impacts.
-The shear force from each blow is directed not to the brain, but downward towards very strong neck muscles that act as shock absorbers.
-A woodpecker’s head and body are always in a perfectly straight alignment when hitting a tree to avoid breaking its neck.
*When feeding on wood, grubs make an audible sound that could be heard by a woodpecker.
*Woodpeckers have a better sense of smell than most birds and may be able to detect the strong odor of the formic acid that ants, bark beetles and termites excrete (smells like Sweet Tarts.)
*If you want to provide good habitat for woodpeckers, consider leaving the dead tree snags in and around your yard. Related Articles: - What’s the best suet for Michigan wild birds? http://bit.ly/tcKasp- Michigan made suet feeders: http://bit.ly/rbKskX- How many woodpeckers are in Michigan? http://bit.ly/tJ7e6S- Fun Facts about Woodpeckers http://bit.ly/tQ5lwt- How do I Attract Woodpeckers? http://bit.ly/o4CLqI

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Chickadees are my favourite birds along with hummingbirds. Chickadees are so so tame, they talk to you, if they know you'll feed them. I had a few that came within three ft. of me. I loved them so.Do you know how to get a wild bird to come to your hand?

Chickadees are among the most popular birds in North America, due to
their regular visits to feeders, ability to nest in urban gardens, and
willingness to take food from people's hands.

Winter can be a tough time for chickadees. The cold temperatures
requires them to expend a great deal of energy to maintain their body
temperature the shorter days also means a shorter time to forage for
food.

Add to that, their smaller size. In a winter flock of birds, the little
chickadee is lowest on the pecking order. The larger Hairy Woodpeckers
are more dominant over the smaller Downy Woodpecker which is more
dominant than the White-breasted Nuthatch, which can be more dominant
then the titmouse which is always more dominant than the chickadee. By
the time it’s the chickadees time to feed the pickings might be slim.

But clever birds that they are, they wait for humans to fill a feeder to
grab a quick bite before the others can claim their turn. They are also
confident in their ability to flit away and avoid a predator's capture.
So confident, in fact, they may even come down to your open hand full
of food.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

In the winter Black-capped Chickadees eat about 50% seeds,
berries, and other plant matter, and 50% animal food (insects, spiders, and
sometimes fat and bits of meat from frozen carcasses).

At feeders they eat
sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, peanut butter, and mealworms. You will also see
them occasionally on the goldfinch feeders eating Nyjer Thistle.

Mid-Michigan's chickadees are non-migratory and will be
around all winter. New fall and winter flocks can join bands of nuthatches and woodpeckers for safety.
Flocks can consist of 2 to 18 birds. Normal suburban flocks range from 6 to 10
birds over a territory of 20 to 50 acres.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Tree swallows breed between May and September in mid-Michigan. They raise one brood per year and then gather in large flocks to prepare for their journey south in the fall. Tree swallows winter in southern North America, primarily in Florida, and along the Caribbean coast of Central America.

They are especially fond fruits of waxmyrtle and bayberry bushes that grow in sandy soils near seacoasts. They are one of the very few birds able to digest the energy-rich waxy outer coatings of these berries.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Eastern Bluebirds
to gather together in large flocks starting in August until September
in search of food. After nesting season has ended, they usually form
large nomadic groups that roost at night in the woods.

.

Their
diet changes from mostly worms and insects to fruit, nuts and berries.
They can eat crab apples, Mountain Ash tree berries, and sometimes look
under feeders for nuts. They also appreciate open water in the winter.
If you have a pond or heated birdbath they may show up in large numbers
for afternoon drinks.

We often think of migration as birds traveling thousands of miles south to winter in a tropical climate.
That’s true for some birds even some bluebirds. The bluebirds that
nested in Canada may skip over Michigan to winter in the southern
states, but in southern and mid-Michigan, many bluebirds are year-round
residents. Scientists think it’s due to genetics whether they want to
fly south or winter over. Some birds are compelled to move south and
others are not. They all gather in huge family groups in the fall
however to increase their survival through the winter.

Monday, December 14, 2015

According to National Geographic, scientists have an answer for the age
old dispute over which came first, the chicken or the egg. Reptiles
were laying eggs thousands of years before chickens appeared. The first
chicken came from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken.
Therefore, the egg came first.

Grouse are heavily built like other Galliformes such as chickens. Spruce Grouse are year-round residents in the Northern part of Michigan. Inconspicuous and relatively quiet, they spend most of their time in black spruce stands and young jack pine forests searching for seasonally available foods like blueberries, flowers, black spruce buds, moss spore capsules and insects.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

American Crows are common throughout much of Michigan year-round. They are intelligent birds that have flourished due to their ability to adapt to a variety of habits. In the fall, crows group together in flocks numbering in the hundreds.

As they fly over every morning they look like a loud, large, unorganized crowd moving in the same direction cawing. While they don't move with the same precision as geese, all their cawing isn't just noise; they're talking to one another, and
doing so in a very advanced fashion.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Songbirds and squirrels have similar tastes in food, so it’s no surprise
that they are constant companions to backyard bird feeding. Maintain backyard harmony and prevent costly damage to bird feeders by providing squirrels a feeder of their own – one designed to challenge twisty thinking minds.

The Wild Birds Unlimited Interactive Squirrel Feeder is a pine feeder
that provides you with the opportunity to witness the problem-solving
skills of those furry little critters in action.

Squirrels must push on the weight-activated paddle to open the lid and
allow them access to those tasty treats like our specially developed
Wildlife Blend that squirrels crave.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

GBBC eNewsletter

December 2015

Click the image for a larger view. How many of these raptors can you identify?

Test Your Raptor ID Skills

It’s always exciting to spot the imposing silhouette of a raptor flying
overhead, but they can also be tricky to identify–especially when you
only get a quick glimpse. Test your abilities and hone your
identification skills by attempting to identify the 12 different species
shown above. Click the image for a larger version and scroll down on
that page to see the list of possible species, as well as their true
identities and the field marks that can help you get to know these
tricky predators.

Download and share GBBC posters!

Make Your Birds Count

Want to make sure your local birds are counted during the upcoming GBBC?
Here are some resources you can use to promote the GBBC to friends,
family, and your community.

Post GBBC Posters

Download the 2016 GBBC posters from
our website and share them around your community. Send it by email or
print it on standard-sized paper and post a few copies (with permission
of course) at your local library, school, nature center, nursery,
hardware store, bird supply store, or even along the trails at your
favorite birding spots. Don’t forget to customize the editable versions
with information on any local GBBC events. Posters in Spanish, and
French are coming soon.

Host a Local Event

You can use the 2016 GBBC "How To" slideshow and
accompanying script to share information about how to participate in
the GBBC and explain what the observations reveal. Hold a workshop and
invite both new and experienced bird watchers. Better yet, take the "Pledge to Fledge"
and introduce the GBBC to those who have never gone bird watching at
all! All the images in the presentation are by GBBC participants. You'll
also find results from the last count and detailed instructions on how
to set up a new account and enter data.

The next GBBC is
February 12-15, 2016

eBird Mobile App for Android

It's here! The Android version of the free eBird Mobile app is now available and joins the iOS version
released a few months ago. This app will allow you to upload your GBBC
data from anywhere and replaces the BirdLog app. Your sightings will be
included in the Great Backyard Bird Count if you use the app during the
GBBC count period, February 12-15. You can log in with your existing
GBBC/eBird account or create a free account if you don’t already have
one. eBird Mobile is translated into 8 languages, and supports species
common names in more than 20 languages. Its offline functionality even
allows you to enter sightings in areas with no cell service, or when
traveling abroad without Internet access. Learn more about transitioning from BirdLog to the eBird Mobile app.

Be a Bird Song Hero!

Identifying a bird by its sound can be pretty tricky. Try this fun, interactive game from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "Bird Academy" website and see how many sounds you can match with the bird that makes it.